Tests, chunk de verre and draping

twigs of course!
I like the thinner part of the chunk de verre, so today I made up a larger mould. I think a slightly higher temp or hold for longer. The slump/drape too needs a bit longer / hotter.

Chunky bullseye frit still in the mould

Well it's a small test, hard to see what's going on really, but encouraging to go bigger, I like the edges, where the light can travel through more.

many more to make!

Sticks and twigs for hanging so far, 4 to come out of the kiln tomorrow and 2 awaiting in the cold shop. (oh and two hanging in the living room at home)

I do have some short branches, but they won't be suspended.

Second layer (almost there)

Well, since i'm using up my stock of DIY type silicon, this one is clear. Doesn't pong quite so bad as the white stuff but still quite vinegary.

Just to prove that I do tidy up at times!

Between the lines* but with the cracks

Maureen had a solo show at Salerno tonight. Great crowd and support.

Elaborate & experimental kiln loading!

Elaborate & experimental were words used as 'polite' words by tutors on seeing my kiln set up. What we have here is 2 'lost stick' moulds on the left using pre-cast furnace glass from another project. The one on the right is a lost wax branch using pre cast Spectrum '96 nuggets.

and now for the other side!

One side is complete. I tidied up, cleaning off clay, and bits of plaster, wiped it down. Applying Vaseline (not to my toast) to the silicon so that the next lot won't stick. First layer is Gelsil a two part condensation curing silicon rubber.

Bathroom silicon

and on goes the second layer, this time white bathroom silicon. I had forgotten how much that stuff stinks!

Cute piles of ash

These are the little piles from after burning the sticks out of the plater silica moulds... I'm using the ash later to rub into the glass (to give the detail some definition)

Brush on?

I seem to be trying every sort of mould making material this year. The  (red and yellow) re-meltable stuff, Pinkysil (pink) and now today a brush on product (blue) called Gelsil. I haven't used this type of stuff before. It's a 2 part mix. On opening the tub and trying to dollop out the white part I wondered about the description 'brush on'...imagine beating egg whites for a meringue and adding bubble gum and you'll get an idea of the consistency, much much stiffer than bathroom silicon. You need  good cake / concrete mixing arm to combine the two parts. The 'brushing on' step was more like persuading, trowel-ing or pushing action. Though I guess for a term to use brush on is OK.
So today I set up the branch with a surround of clay and applied the first layer. I used half a kilo for one side. It takes between 6-12 hours to set so i'll come back tomorrow for the next layer which I may do in a cheaper bathroom silicon.

Grad show forms

Don't you love filling out forms, when you don't know all the details?

Describe your work in detail: Um you mean the work that's not finished yet? riiight...

and here is my " " image for the catalogue.

I did darken the background for my entry

Cards from the past

My mum has framed some of the cards that I have made her and dad over the years. Here is a selection

The van got Andy Goldsworthied

I replenished my stick collection from the forest at my parents property. At the end of the day (in the dark) we piled the van full of fallen branches and twigs and one log from a tree that fell over the drive way (in the strong winds that have been plaguing the Sydney area). I wish I had taken a photo but I doubt it would have come out well of the inside of the van at night. It did though, look as if a Andy Goldsworthy sculpture had been installed in it.

Sculpture by Andy Goldsworthy

L'll red riding hood cover by Amanda Seyfried

Black magic

So, since I decided to use wax as a sculpting material I have been wanting to use black wax, but I also wanted to use a friendly product (well not paraffin or tallow). I now have a huge packet of soy wax and some bees wax. Initially I bought some condensed colour  in wax form but it turns out that soy wax is hard to dye very dark colours and the tablet form gave a lovely aubergine hue. From another company in Western Australia I ordered some liquid dye and I am glad to say that I have black wax, black enough for any magical incantations.